Friday Fill-Ins

Friday 3rd July

Whilst browsing around the blogosphere I found the blog called Friday Fill-In's which looks as though it may be some fun and quite useful for those days when I haven't got anything to say, so long as it falls on a Friday!

So here goes for my first one .......

1. When I heard the music I just wanted to dance. I dance and gig about a lot these days - not necessarily a pretty sight but I enjoy it so there!

2. Dinnerladies is the best medicine. Victoria Wood's TV comedy dinnerladies is one of my tools if I am feeling down, put it on and it makes me laugh, feel good and happy, great writing, great acting and great comedy.

3. It's late, but it's never too late.

4. Mike's always.

5. My eyes have seen some wonderful places but the best is always our front door.

6. Love strongly.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to time with the family, tomorrow my plans include watching some tennis and Sunday, I am going to a scrapbooking crop!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones

Jamie's Reading challenge 2/12 - currently reading Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson

SLYMI - 1/52

Thursday 2nd July

Jamie's Music and Dance Festival and Some Floristry

As I wasn't able to get to my Tuesday floristry class, I went this morning instead. I made a hand tied grouped bouquet, using aspidistra leaves, roses, gerbera and carnations - but I did not get a photo of it - silly me! The aspidistra leaves were folded, taped and used to separate groups of roses, gerbera and carnations and then they were wrapped in tissue and cellophane and tied. A useful addition to my repertoire!

The most important part of the day was the Music and Dance Festival at Jamie's school. Lots of the children were going to be performing and Jamie was playing his guitar. As it was another hot day, I made sure we had plenty of drinks with us, even though it was starting at 7.30 there were going to be a lot of people in the school hall and school is warm at the best of times.

Here Jamie is setting up with the help of one of the teachers. He played When the Boat Comes In, he played it well, but even he said he has played it a lot better. One thing may have thrown him a bit though, as well as him being nervous, it was the biggest audience he has played solo before, was the acoustics of the room and the guitar's sound was lost in the room. I think they may need a microphone for next year!

But he did very well and seems to have got the idea that you have to practice and practice and practice some more. This picture shows a relieved Jamie with it all finished! There were lots and lots of performances on the evening, some singing, dancing and some musical instruments. Jamie was in the middle in terms of the level of his performance. There were some particular highlights for me, Jamie excepting of course, the clarinets of two of Jamie's friends, a singer out of Jamie's year and a dance act from year 6. The choir and school orchestra were both fantastic, but the outstanding highlight was the year 3 pianist who was amazing and quite rightly won the Festival and received the trophy. It was an enjoyable evening and all the perfomers should be very pleased and proud with their efforts.

Well done everyone, and well done Jamie.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 2/12 - currently reading Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson SLYMI - 1/52

Wednesday1st July

A Book Review by Jamie - Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson

Jamie has completed his 2nd book in his reading challenge and here is his book review.

Clean Break is a book by Jacqueline Wilson. It is a rather sad book in some places but it is funny in some places as well. When Em, Vita, and Maxie’s Dad goes away with his other girlfriend, Mum and the children's lives get turned upside down. Then Dad comes back about three months later and takes the children to the seaside without permission, Em gets worried about this so Dad takes them home.

After that Maxie starts doing very strange things like writing messages for Dad on toilet paper but Em uses a reindeer puppet called Dancer to cheer everyone up. When Em goes to see her favourite writer, Jenna Williams (same initials as Jacqueline Wilson!) she sees Dad and runs for him but ends up falling over on the floor with breaks her arm. Dad takes her to hospital where Mum comes in and sees him and Dad asks if he can come back but Mum says no. On Christmas Eve they all go to bed but a man knocks at the door and says ho ho ho giving the story a good conclusion.

Clean Break is a sad book but it’s a very good one and I will have to say Jacqueline Wilson has won again.

10/10

Jamie has done a brilliant book review here, well done!

Today is has been hot hot hot!, almost too hot, so not too much has been done!




Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 2/12 - currently reading The Bed and Breakfast Star by Jacqueline Wilson
SLYMI - 1/52

Jamie's Sports Day

Tuesday 30th June

Lots going on today - the first I'm not saying anything about just yet - but just to say this - it is a major major project I am going to be involved in but will wait until all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. But I am very very excited about it and the things I needed to do today related to it, all went extremely well. Because of that I wasn't able to go to Floristry class as usual today but I am going on Thursday instead.

Also I wasn't able to go to Jamie's sports day at school today, which I am sad about, but he understood why and was pretty cool about it. Sports and PE are not number one on Jamie's list of things to do at school, but he always tries his best and there is not anymore that you can ask than that. Mike went along armed with lots of drinks of water as today was very very hot.

The first half was a series of tasks and challenges done in teams, a far more enjoyable way involving and encouraging all, whatever their sporting ability. The second half was more competitive with races. Jamie completed the 400m race but was pretty exhausted at the end of it apparently - when I picked him up from school later he told me all about it and he had (in his words) "a nervous breakdown and was unconscious" at the end of it. My darling boy has been known to exaggerate on occasion and I believe this may have been one. He did his best, put the effort in and that is all we can ask and I am very proud of him for the effort he did put in.

Although sports day is not always one of the favourite events to attend in our family, simply because, just like some people when they get behind the wheel of a car, some people get uber competitive on behalf of their children at these events. Sadly school sports days can be like that too. It reminds me of several years ago when we enrolled Jamie in a football after school activity, it was aimed at 5 - 9 year olds. Mike took him to the first one and was scathing when he got home about some of the behaviour of some of the parents. He felt the level of sideline parental advice was utterly disproportionate to what the course was trying to achieve. Fathers shouting advice about crossing the ball, telling them when to shoot for goal and then groaning and moaning when they missed.

Mike suggested I go along the following week to see what I thought. So I did and it felt like a cauldron, way too much pressure being put onto children who ought to have been their to develop skills, team interaction but most of all to have FUN. Jamie didn't go to anymore after that and we found him a fantastic tennis class instead where the emphasis was on fun, learning ball skills and playing with other children, Paul the coach was fantastic as he was a stickler for good manners too. I remember once a child burped (not Jamie thankfully!) and didn't say pardon and Paul pulled him up for it. Jamie had 3 enjoyable years playing tennis with Paul, he may never be a good tennis player but at least he enjoyed what he was doing.

Don't get me wrong I am not against competition, at the right time and place it is essential but I do think it has to be proportionate to the age and circumstances of the child or children. I believe in encouraging and the only thing I push Jamie to do is tidy up his bedroom!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 1/12 - currently reading Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson
SLYMI - 1/52

Monday 29th June

Flower Arranging How To ........... Make a Line or Vertical Arrangement

I thought I'd have a go at something a little bit different today and show you how I make a simple line arrangement. Hopefully these step by step instructions will show how easy it is, if I can do it I'm sure anyone can. Please bear with the instructions as I have found making the arrangement easier than writing the instructions!

Here are some examples of this arrangement, I like to use roses, but carnations, gerbera and anthurium all work equally as well. Above is one I made for home, below is one for our next door neighbour when she'd broken her shoulder,

below one for our friends Ann and Martin, when we went to their home for a wonderful Sunday lunch,




and one I made for Mike's Mum's birthday. The dish I've used for this is an Ikea candle holder, it holds an oasis round exactly and sets the flowers off perfectly. It is also cast iron so makes a good sturdy base for the arrangement. I love being able to make a gift like this when going to friends for dinner, for a birthday or as a get well soon. For such a simple arrangement it has a big impact.


So to make a line arrangement just a couple of basic tools are needed:-

a sharp knife

a good pair of scissors or secateurs.

The following items are available from hobby shops such as Hobbycraft, general stores such as Wilkinsons, from florists, garden centres and are widely available on the internet. (I hope to review some of the on-line suppliers as time goes on and I have used each of them a couple of times).

pot tape (not necessary for a one off but useful for more complex arrangements),

a small dish, this could be any dish you have at home which would work well with your chosen flowers or a small plastic dish available from the stores above,

floral foam (oasis).

Measure the foam to fit the dish and where required trim to size. If you are using a purpose made plastic flower arranging dish you can get a small round of foam which fits the dish perfectly. If you are using a dish of your own you may need to cut down a larger piece of foam to fit. Allow about 1 - 1.5 inches of foam above the top of the dish for foliage.

Place the foam into water, until it is thoroughly soaked - the foam will have become slightly darker in colour and will feel a lot heavier. I also put flower food into the water I use to soak my foam, this gives the flowers an added feed when they first go into the oasis.

Next you need to tape the oasis into the dish, this allows the dish to be moved easily and for the arrangement to be well watered when required. (I always try to water my arrangements each evening (before I go to bed) by putting them in the sink and giving them a good soaking and allowing them to drain overnight, I give them a bit more water the following morning and then put them back into position. Using pot tape makes moving an arrangement a lot easier).

Tape the foam about 2 thirds from the front of the dish, wrap the pot tape all around the dish, taking it under the bottom and back around onto the top, finish by pressing the tape firmly down onto the first piece of tape.

I always leave a little bit of pot tape folded over at the end of the roll, it makes it easier to find the end when I next come to make an arrangement.



I have given the line arrangement my own little twist, so rather than using tall, straight foliage to create the line, I am currently using these red soft wood sticks, as they give an added colour and a different texture to the arrangement. I picked up a large bag of these sticks in Ikea for about £3 - £4 and cut them down to the right length. I make them about 1 - 1.5 inches shorter than each other and make sure the cut end is placed into the oasis, thus hiding the not so nice looking cut end.



The tallest stick should be just a little bit taller than your tallest flower say about 1 - 1.5 cms and place it at the centre back of your oasis, behind the pot tape.

With the front of the arrangement facing towards you, place the next tallest on the left of the first, about 1 - 1.5 cms away, push them both about 1 - 2 cms into the oasis



Then place the third and shortest stick to the right of the other two. This gives you the basic line for your arrangement, the flowers will now largely stay within an imaginary triangle you have established. If you do not want to use sticks you could use straight pieces of line foliage, such as eucalyptus and use them in exactly the same way.

Next is the foliage. I try to use a mixture of foliage, with light, dark foliage and variegated, if I can, thick waxy leaves, and feathery leaves too if available, below there are also some smaller variegated leaves which add some depth to the foliage too. Here I am using variegated laurel, leylandii and Silver Queen Euonymus (I think!). If not I'd love to know! Thank you to my brilliant neighbour Brian for allowing me free access to his garden for foliage, you're a star!


I've used the variegated laurel to create a backdrop to the arrangement, using the larger leaves behind the sticks and bringing the smaller leaves more forward. These are the highest leaves in my arrangement.

I've trimmed down the conifer to smaller pieces and taken the bottom leaves off to give a nice clean piece of stem to go into the oasis. Conifer is really useful for this as you are able to cut the tips down as shown in the pictures below and these I would use at the front of the arrangement. Other pieces I would trim to give a nice finish and use in less obvious places in the arrangement. You can also use Leatherleaf in a similar way, in that way you get a lot of foliage out of just one stem, particularly useful if you have to pay for it.

Here I have placed those pieces into the front of the arrangement, randomly, and as this is a front facing arrangement they are facing front.

I keep filling with foliage and I am looking to keep the shape in roughly a circle at the base and within the imaginary triangle.

Here I have added foliage to the back of the arrangement, what I am trying to do is ensure that all of the foam is covered and cannot be seen when looking at the arrangement, regardless of where the arrangement is placed. I also need to ensure that I spread the foliage around throughout the arrangement and not have it grouped together all in one place (that is another arrangement entirely).

Back to the front now and I am adding smallish pieces of the Euonymus tips if I have enough, I am placing this in and around the other foliage to make sure it is all through the arrangement. I am also ensuring I keep the foliage pretty low, it is only an inch or two above the foam.

I take the Euonymus through to the back of the arrangement, here I can use other pieces I have trimmed and use up the bits left after using the tips at the front of the arrangement.

I would now check I have covered the foam, holding the design up at eye level and look all around to check I can't see any oasis, it should all be covered. Below I have left a gap in the oasis for the flower stems. It is useful to check the size of the flower stems, roses can be quite thick, as you need to ensure you have left enough room for them in the foliage. I can plug any gaps once the flowers are in!

Now we get to the really fun part, the flowers. It is important to properly condition the flowers once they have been purchased. Once I get the flowers home, I take them out of the wrapping trim the ends, remove thorns and any leaves which will be under the waterline and put them into water for 24 hours before arranging if possible (or as long as possible). I stand my flowers just outside my back door in a sheltered spot.

Below I have cut the stems at an angle which allows for a greater surface area, and enables the flowers to take up plenty of water. This also ensures the arrangement will last to its optimum, if thoroughly watered.

For a line arrangement I always place the smallest flower head at the top of the arrangement so this is the tallest flower. The largest flower I want to be my focal point so this is likely to be the shortest flower. Therefore I need to arrange the flower heads in order from smallest to largest as seen in the picture below. The smallest and largest are the most important, there can be some leeway in the centre ones, this only needs to be done by eye, no need to measure them!

I then cut the stems, I line them up and make my first cut, giving the tallest (but smallest flower head) it's angled cut (my first flower). I then move the next one down, so it is a flower head and a half below the first flower and cut the stalk where the stem is level with my first flower. I would do this with 7 - 9 flowers depending on the number I had, I would want to keep 3 - 5 back including the largest headed flower or focal flower.

I then follow the line of my sticks, with the tallest flower being placed in front of the tallest stick. Then with the arrangement facing towards me I put the next 7 - 9 flowers in going left, then right of the main flower and bringing each one slightly forward of the last and moving towards the front of the arrangement angling each slightly, as seen in the picture below.



The remaining flowers need to be placed at the sides, slightly below the other flowers. I try not to get any two flowers to be the same height.

The main focal point flower is at the front of the arrangement and wants to be slightly proud. In the arrangement below I needed an extra flower to finish it perfectly, but I was still happy with it and I prefer not to take flowers out once they have been in oasis as it is possible to damage the oasis so it won't support the flowers and create air pockets so the arrangement doesn't last. Overall I was pleased with the arrangement and I donated it to school for a raffle prize and they seemed very happy with it too, so job done.


I hope to do some more 'how to's' and would love any comments and feedback.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 1/12 - currently reading Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson
SLYMI - 1/52

Keep Free Weekend - Sunday 28th June

Another relaxing day today, doing much the same as yesterday. We had a real treat today, an Irish breakfast but as our main meal. I had found Irish bacon, sausages and Clonakilty black and white pudding - a once a year treat! It brings back lovely memories of holidays in Ireland.

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton*(*possible spoilers)

T is for Trespass is the 20th book in the alphabet series about thirty something private investigator Kinsey Milhone. I am a real fan of Kinsey, tough but caring and fiercely independent and a fan of Sue Grafton who has created one of my favourite characters to read about. T takes up where S is for Silence finished. Kinsey has just split from her most recent boyfriend Cheney Phillips and her work has slowed down to the point she is keeping herself busy serving eviction notices and carrying out basic insurance investigations.

She has some time on her hands and becomes involved when her elderly neighbour Gus Vronsky has a fall and landlord Henry asks her to lend a hand. She tracks down Gus's great niece, who employs Kinsey to check out the carer she is thinking of hiring to look after Gus. It is in such a simple and straightforward way that Kinsey becomes embroiled with Solana Rojas. Kinsey's employment check on Rojas appears simple enough and she checks out, but is she really all that she appears.

Well we know that she isn't as Sue Grafton has given us a real insight into Solana by writing part of the book from her perspective, which is something of a departure for her, as we usually get everything from Kinsey's point of view. We know from the outset that Solana is bad, that she has stolen an identity and that she has plans to use that new identity to commit a crime.

Sue Grafton uses this book to highlight the issue of elderly abuse, as that is what Rojas does, once employed to look after the vulnerable Gus, she sedates him, starves him and over medicates him. She also cuts him off from his neighbours and family. Kinsey begins to smell a rat, but Rojas appears to be one step ahead of her all the time. When Kinsey reports her to the authorities, Rojas turns it round and makes it look like Kinsey is persecuting her. Kinsey is thwarted by Rojas at every turn until Rojas has a restraining order put on Kinsey. Finally Kinsey acts and a bit of luck for Kinsey gives her the chance to finally get to the bottom of Rojas story.

Along the way Kinsey is also investigating a possible insurance fraud and the people involved in that also do not appear to be what they seem. The disabled couple hurt in a car accident, are they are honest as they appear, the good Samaritan who helped out at the accident disappears when Kinsey finds him, is he all he appears. So there is a theme in the book of the disguises that people use in life.

The book is perhaps darker in a way than some of her books and perhaps that is because Kinsey herself is in a bit of a lull. We see a predication of a future to come and a world that will phase Kinsey when as part of her investigations she comes across a computer specialist. Grafton's books are firmly placed in the late 1980's, and computers and mobile phones are only just beginning to appear.

Kinsey, of course, resolves the situation but not without her near death at the hands of Solana mentally disabled but hulk of a son and Henry's near death at the hands of Solana. For me Sue Grafton never fails but to deliver a totally enjoyable and well written story, but with each one, whilst I love the story to bits, I am getting more and more concerned as to what I will do when the series comes to an end. I will feel I have lost a dear friend in Kinsey!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 3/16 - currently reading Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones
Jamie's Reading challenge 1/12 - currently reading Clean Break by Jacqueline Wilson
SLYMI - 1/52

Keep Free Weekend - Saturday 27th June

This weekend is one of our keep free weekends, where we try not to put anything into the calendar and we can either be spontaneous or we can just chill out and not be committed to anything. We try to guard to KFW's very carefully!

So today was one of those days when we just chill out and have lazy breakfasts (coffee and croissants today). We just pottered on today doing little jobs here and there. I've been trying to get the garden into a nice place to sit, Mike will paint the furniture and bits in due course. I'm quite pleased with the way the garden is coming along so far. I've got my hanging baskets and trough in the back garden done, and hopefully the slugs will keep off them and I can show the progress of them through the summer. We currently have a serious ant problem in the back garden and I've been spraying them and pouring boiling water over them like mad. We've found a couple of nests with eggs too and the little blighters, whilst I'm boiling the kettle they are moving the eggs - fascinating but they eat my plants!

We watched the final episode of Robin Hood tonight, poor Guy of Gisborne and poor Robin, surprisingly I (and Jamie) were blubbing when Robin died but I was ok when GofG died. It was so sad when Marian appeared and told Robin she had been waiting for him. (And now sad for us because it is not coming back - Jamie and I had wondered how it would survive losing Robin and of course when those left said "we are Robin Hood" we though ok, that's how they are going to do but no - the BBC has now decided to end it and maybe that is the best decision). I hope they bring a box set DVD out with all 3 seasons, as Jamie and I have really enjoyed them all.

Binnie looking very cute in the garden and recovering well from her op.

And then it was the last CSI NY for this season too. But we had a lovely relaxing day!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 2/16 - currently reading T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
SLYMI - 1/52